Mail handling apparatus



March 13, 1951 A, J, CLAYTON V2,544,656

MAIL HANDLING APPARATUS Filed Feb. l2, 1948 v3 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Feb. 12, 1948 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 March 13, 1951 A, J, CLAYTON 2,544,656

MAIL HANDLING APPARATUS gmc/nm J. cfiayon March 13, 1951 A, J, CLAYTN 2,544,656

MAIL HANDLING APPARATUS Filed Feb. 12, 1948 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 Patented Mar. 13, Y1951 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE MAIL HANDLING APPARATUS Albert James Clayton, Dalton, Mo.

Application February 12, 1948, Serial N0. 7,883

1 Claim.

tending toward the tracks by means of a weighted trigger which is engaged by the bag or receptacle, so that when the bag or receptacle is picked up by the pick-up member on the mail car, the trigger will be released and the supporting arm will swing outwardly to inoperative position.

A further object of this invention is to provide an improved pick-up member for mounting on a mail car which includes a pivoted arm having one or more U-shaped holders on the outer end thereof, with a latch element swingable across the sides of the holder so as to lock the bag or receptacle in the holder.

A further object of this invention is to provide an improved ejector swingably mounted on the mail car and spring-pressed to ejecting position, the ejector being latched in inoperative or loading position so that when the latch is released the ejector will spring outwardly and throw the bag or receptacle outwardly through the open door.

A further object of this invention is to provide an improved container or receptacle for either the loose mail or the mail bag, which is particularly designed for use with the pick-up structure herein disclosed.

To the foregoing objects, and others which may hereinafter more fully appear, the invention consists of the novel construction, combination and arrangement of parts, as will be more specically referred to and illustrated in the accompanying drawings, but it is to be understood that changes, variations, and modifications may be resortedy to which fall within the scope of the invention as claimed.

In the drawings:

Figure 1 is a plan view of a mail delivering and receiving means constructed according to an embodiment of this invention showing the receiving and ejecting means mounted on a mail car which is shown in horizontal section.

Figure 2 is a sectional View taken on the line 2 2 of Figure 1.

Figure 3 is a sectional view taken on the line 3 3 of Figure l.

Figure 4 is a sectional View taken on the line 4 4 of Figure 2.

Figure 5 is a fragmentary plan view, partly in section and taken substantially on the line 5 5 of Figure 2, of the receiver mounted on the mail `car.

Figure 6 is a fragmentary sectional view taken substantially on the line 6 6 of Figure 2, shoW-, ing the receiver with a receptacle disposed there- 1n. Figure 7 is a fragmentary sectional view taken on the line 'I 'I of Figure 3.

Figure 8 is a fragmentary sectional view taken on the line 8 8 of Figure 1, showing the ejector.

Figure 9 is a, fragmentary sectional view taken on the line 9 9 of Figure 1.

Referring to the drawings, the numeral ID with a. door opening Il in the side wall I2 thereof. In order to provide a means whereby mail may be picked up by the moving car l0, I have provided a holder which is adapted to be mounted beside the track. The holder, generally designated as I3, comprises a lower standard member I4 of tubular construction having a base I5 at the lower end thereof which is secured by fastening means I6 to a stationary support. The lower standard member I4 has rotatably mounted therein an elongated upper standard member I7 which at its lower end telescopes into the lower standard member I4. The lower standard member I4 at its upper end is formed with an annular flange I8 and the upper or rotatable standard member I'I is formed -With a flange I9 bearing against the flange I8.

A coil spring 20 is disposed Within the tubular lower standard I4 engaging about the rotatable standard I'I and the spring 20 is secured at one end as at 2I to the lower standard member I4 and is secured at the other end as at 22 to the upper standard member or shaft Il. The spring 20 is provided so ,that the upper standard member I'I or shaft will normally be rotated to a position wherein the bag or container supporting means to be hereinafter described will be normally disposed substantially parallel with the tracks. The upper'member Il has xed thereto a right angularly extending bracket arm 23 which at its outer end is -iormed with an enlarged plate 24.

A trigger, generally designated as 25, is rockably carried by the bracket arm 23 and includes an elongated bar 2liv which is pivoted as at 21 to a depending lug 28 xedly carried by the bracket arm 23. The upper or outer end of the arm 26 has secured thereto a plate 29 which is adapted when in set or operative position to be disposed substantially coplanar with the plate 24. The inner end of the arm 26 has iixed thereto a weight 30 and the standard member I4 adjacent the upper end thereof is formed with a slotted keeper 3I which is engageable by the upper portion of the weight 39 so that when the arm or trigger 25 is in operativeorrsetposition ther'otatable standard or shaft I1 will be locked in' aposition at right angles to the rail or track.

The upper member or shaft I1 also has fixed thereto a right angularly disposed resilient" arm `32 formed at its outer end with a clamping plate 33 which is adapted to engage the upper"end""ofa container 34 which is seatedi'atfitslower fend-.on the two plates 24 and 29. The container 34 includes a pair of telescopically arranged'niembers 35 and 36 with the latter member having extendling y:oppositely a'n'd i'diametrioally `a pair of L- shaped bracket arms 31.

`The Ibracketarnis y31K-ar'e L'formedV with downturned outer sides 38, the purpose-i`or"which"-will fbe hereinafter 'L'described "The container --34 is -'adapte2i toreceive eitherloosel mail or 1 mailin `4a bag and #the fcoritai'ner 134i's ffadapted to be removed from the supporting structure at oneside Sof--theiltrackdylmeanslof:a c'atchen generallyfdes- -ignatedla's-i. The catcher 139i includes 'a pair of verticall'yfspacedapartlU-shaped members 4|! and 4I which are connected together at their bights ibymea'nsf dfi aconnectingfbar I242.

The U-shaped members "40'ila`nd-4i are carried Ibyiapivoted atm43 which?isformedwithanoffset-intermediate'- portion 44 and the inner f'endof ithe'arm 43 Sis lpi'iioted at 45 ion-La 'bearing or support 46 which is securedtothe innerside of the `side @wall :I2 -f the fear t0. fAn "elongated 'coil spring? 41 is'Ps'ec'uifed asiat 48' tolthe'louterfportio'n liifthe armf43 and is-securedasia-ty 49 toi-the inner iside f-tneside walll2=ofthe1car I0. Thespring i341@engagesaboiltthel hinged portionof the farm 3`as`1shownfinFigurellfandl Ais adaptedl to normally urige tli'e v'arm "543 "Cto :swing linwardly within "f-the 'fbe-'rmly `braced -andheid against bendin'giunde'r impact occasioned by the catcherLinitiallystriking'ithe fstation'ary container 34.

.'rn'forderto fprovid'eiarmeans whereby 1 the :conf-tainer .34 `will be Af'autoniatically jlatched yto the 4receiver,the iupperau 7-shaped member 40 is provided witha spring-pressed'- latchingbar 53 which iis piv'otedlon a pivot# 54ca`rried byi onearm'zoff the upper U-shapedniemberllii. 'The latchingmember 53 includes `l`a lug 155 'which :is engaged `by a lsprin'g 56 carried byth'e U--shaped member 14d-fand 'the springl56 is adapted-.tonormallyf maintain the llatching member 53 in'= outwardly extended posi- -tion 'orlin inwardlyeprojected and Ylatching; position across the'freeends offthe U-shapedmember 49. A .trigger.orltrip'rmemberf51 is formedfinte- `grz'il'-withfthe latching'mer'nber l53 zandi is adapted fwhen'` the a latchingl member-*.53 is in` outwardlyf'ex- .tended positionto beidisposedsubstantially across thefop'en ends-fof :the sides-*of i the iU -shap'ed member 40 as shown in Figure 5 in order that when the container 34 moves between the parallel sides of the two U-shaped members 40 and 4|, the trip member or latch operator 51 will be swung inwardly and will thereby swing the latching member 53 across the open end of the upper U-shaped member 4B. When the container 34 is caught by the catcher 39, the L-shaped arms 31 of the container 34 will ride over the upper member 40 so Y-that the container 34 will Ibe i suspendingly suppotedby the' upper U-shapedniember'40.

When the latch member 53 is in latching position holding the container 34 against forward movementthe handle 5U may be released so that the catcher 39 may be swung inwardly into the car Hl 'under' the tension of spring 41. When it is desired-to eject va container or mail bag from the car I!) through the door opening I I, the container or-mailbag is engaged with an ejector generally designated as 58. The ejector 58 includes an elongated :for iplate d'5 9 @which I. is .hingedlysecured as at 6] to a base plate GIJaInd'lthelatter -is?.securedibyffasteningimeans: 62 to'ithfel inneriside 'ofthe'. 1de wailIZ. Thefejector -58also includes '25 pairsofrightangularlydisposed farms? 63 ibet'ween which the Iconta'iner Cor mail bag -is I'a'de'ipte'd to engage. 'The feie'ctor 158 fis prefer-ably v`'disposed feloselyradjacent tnesnoor liof tney-mailfc'arand 'fa spring 265 .constantly lurge's the A"ejector 58 to i530 swing :outwardly toward rejecting position. The

flejectoi'rmaybe latchedl-iniiits innen-inoperative .of me rear m. 'frneiatening :member ist int Stensionfofl-springl.

Infthe `use Tand operation "of this device 'when it is desired? to `'deliver lima-il from f'a Astation-to I`a moving scar, the :1 mail is placed 2 in the container `V34 #andi the flatterl` is n'iounted 10h' the bracket L23 res'tingon the plates A='24 :and .'29 fand with 'lth'e spring arm 32 bearingfagainstthe upperend'of =the container. The `-trigger-'25 :is -held in .itsf upper elatehing or lockingiposition 4when 'the container `34 is fbetween v-the bracket '23 'and the bracket tarm '32. The bracket `23-var1'cl flshat fl1 fa'reswungoutwardly againsttheftension. ofy spring =2 to fa :position substantially fat yrightang1es tothe tracks. A:weight-30fis-:engaged witlrthe =keeper 3| -fso :that -when the fcontainer "34- is in receiving fposition the shaft 'or rupperstandard member I I 1 will Y be latched in its -idelivering `posi- Ition. When -the l mail car f I 0 approaches .the fstation the oatcher`39 is manually swung outwardly -to receivingposition asl shown inf full llines: in-Figure l and -at this -time Athe `latching `memberf53 =is swung outwardly with-theftrip rnemberlfexl.tending Jacross .the vopen ends of the upper U-shaped Ymember MMI. "The container y34 will strike the tripping "member 51'thereby swinging 'the lath'in'g meinber`53' inwardly' across the open ends of "the -upper U ``shaped member '40 'ofthe "cat-chers() that the "container g34 'will "be llirinly latched in the catcher 39. The container3f4`w'ill be held against dropping throu'g'hltheicatherw -by imeans 'of the inverted lf -`shape`di members' 3 1 'which engage -'o'ver thel'uppe'r U-shaped 'mem- 'ber 4. Asfsoo'n Zas thecontainer 34 been Vremoved from the'bra'cketl arm- 23, "the trigg`e`rl-2i5 will swing downwardly'i and I'outwardly f underthe :action .'of the-weight i311 so that'the shaft fI'1imay 815 rotate through an arc of substantially" 'with the bracket arm 23 and the upper arm 32 substantially parallel with the line of the tracks.

When it is desired to eject mail in a bag or container from the car I0, the bag or container is engaged between arms 63 of the ejector 58. The latch member 66 is released -at the proper moment so that the ejector 58 will be swung outwardly, thereby throwing the mail bag or container onto the platform or in a position adjacent the platform.

I claim:

A mail receiving means for attachment to a mail car and extendable from an inoperative position within the car to an operative position extending from the side of the car, said means comprising a horizontally swingable elongated arm, a spring extending from an outer point on said arm to an interior. fpoint of said car biasing said arm to inoperative` position, means for holding said arm against the bias of said spring, U-

shaped catcher means carried by the outer endl -of said arm, and latch means carried by said catcher means for releasably locking a mail container in said catcher means, said latch means comprising an elongated member pivotally car-rr ried by the outermost arm of said catcher means the open end of said catcher means when in set position and adapted upon inward movement of a mail container to swing said elongated member transversely across the open end of said catcher so as to thereby lock said container in said catcher, a spring biasing said elongated member outwardly of said outermost arm and latching means carried by said rst mentioned latch means for holding the latter against the bias of said last mentioned spring. i

ALBERT JAMES CLAYTON.

' REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the le of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 552,577 Hewitt `Jan. 7, 1896 808,317 Teeter Dec. 26, 1905 899,456 Millen Sept. 22, 1908 909,659 Peek Jan. 12, 1909 998,730 Yocum July 25, 1911 1,056,449 Ponton Mar. 18, 1913 1,130,035 Springstein Mar.y 2, 1915 1,179,215 Quittersbaum Apr. 11, 1916 1,229,191 Hupp June 5, 1917 1,310,065 Dallas July 15, 1919 

